CX INNOVATOR SERIES 

CX INNOVATOR SERIES

CX INNOVATOR SERIES 

CX INNOVATOR SERIES  

CX INNOVATOR SERIES

Ruby Tuesday 

Ruby Tuesday

Ruby Tuesday

Ruby Tuesday

Kevin FitzPatrick, SVP of Digital & Performance Marketing

Harnessing New Programs and Technology to Evolve the Restaurant Customer Experience

Ruby Tuesday

Kevin FitzPatrick SVP of Digital & Performance Marketing

Harnessing New Programs and Technology to Evolve the Restaurant Customer Experience

Kevin FitzPatrick SVP of Digital & Performance Marketing

Harnessing New Programs and Technology to Evolve the Restaurant Customer Experience 

Kevin FitzPatrick, SVP of Digital & Performance Marketing

Harnessing New Programs and Technology to Evolve the Restaurant Customer Experience

SGLabs' insights help agencies understand their clients' community better than ever before. Our team devotes their time to studying the lifestyles of 38 distinct target market's so you don't have to. 

Kevin FitzPatrick SVP of Digital & Performance Marketing

Harnessing New Programs and Technology to Evolve the Restaurant Customer Experience

Most Significant CX Challenges

Most Significant CX Challenges 

Most Significant CX Challenges

Most Significant CX Challenges

“Retail is easy when it comes to loyalty,” says FitzPatrick, referring to his prior experience in contrast to some of the more significant challenges in the restaurant business. Retail point-of-sale (POS) systems are a natural way to capture, identify, and attribute customer information, he says – and during his time at GameStop, they captured 70% of all interactions at a customer level. In a restaurant, however, the customer experience is primarily driven by the wait staff, and the technology is on the other side of the restaurant.

The fast-casual segment of the market has been the darling of the restaurant industry, says FitzPatrick, but it was hit significantly by the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated impacts on customer behavior. As restaurant operators embrace more technology, a phenomenon accelerated by the pandemic, CX is increasingly being driven by mobile apps, the ability to order/pay at the table, QR codes, and so forth. Integration of these new technology capabilities is a real challenge, especially considering that many restaurants have legacy systems that must be integrated.

CX Success Stories

“Retail is easy when it comes to loyalty,” says FitzPatrick, referring to his prior experience in contrast to some of the more significant challenges in the restaurant business. Retail point-of-sale (POS) systems are a natural way to capture, identify, and attribute customer information, he says – and during his time at GameStop, they captured 70% of all interactions at a customer level. In a restaurant, however, the customer experience is primarily driven by the wait staff, and the technology is on the other side of the restaurant.

The fast-casual segment of the market has been the darling of the restaurant industry, says FitzPatrick, but it was hit significantly by the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated impacts on customer behavior. As restaurant operators embrace more technology, a phenomenon accelerated by the pandemic, CX is increasingly being driven by mobile apps, the ability to order/pay at the table, QR codes, and so forth. Integration of these new technology capabilities is a real challenge, especially considering that many restaurants have legacy systems that must be integrated.

“Retail is easy when it comes to loyalty,” says FitzPatrick, referring to his prior experience in contrast to some of the more significant challenges in the restaurant business. Retail point-of-sale (POS) systems are a natural way to capture, identify, and attribute customer information, he says – and during his time at GameStop, they captured 70% of all interactions at a customer level. In a restaurant, however, the customer experience is primarily driven by the wait staff, and the technology is on the other side of the restaurant.

The fast-casual segment of the market has been the darling of the restaurant industry, says FitzPatrick, but it was hit significantly by the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated impacts on customer behavior. As restaurant operators embrace more technology, a phenomenon accelerated by the pandemic, CX is increasingly being driven by mobile apps, the ability to order/pay at the table, QR codes, and so forth. Integration of these new technology capabilities is a real challenge, especially considering that many restaurants have legacy systems that must be integrated.

“Retail is easy when it comes to loyalty,” says FitzPatrick, referring to his prior experience in contrast to some of the more significant challenges in the restaurant business. Retail point-of-sale (POS) systems are a natural way to capture, identify, and attribute customer information, he says – and during his time at GameStop, they captured 70% of all interactions at a customer level. In a restaurant, however, the customer experience is primarily driven by the wait staff, and the technology is on the other side of the restaurant.

The fast-casual segment of the market has been the darling of the restaurant industry, says FitzPatrick, but it was hit significantly by the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated impacts on customer behavior. As restaurant operators embrace more technology, a phenomenon accelerated by the pandemic, CX is increasingly being driven by mobile apps, the ability to order/pay at the table, QR codes, and so forth. Integration of these new technology capabilities is a real challenge, especially considering that many restaurants have legacy systems that must be integrated.

Just less than a year into his role at Ruby Tuesday, FitzPatrick says they are really just getting started on CX initiatives and are prioritizing technology investments and business process changes. However, he hearkens back to some of the considerable success stories he and the rest of the team had during his previous position at Dave & Buster’s. That business model, which combines restaurant operations in a sport bar atmosphere with an extensive video arcade, is unique in that approximately 60% of revenue comes from the games side of the house, with the food side being more challenged. D&B had an “unreal” number of data sources, says FitzPatrick, which made the implementation of a customer data platform (CDP) a challenge but also an imperative, for purposes of understanding the full customer journey and being able to better tie behavior to individual customers. In addition, D&B had a legacy customer rewards program, but did not get a lot of engagement, so they launched a new one, the timely deployment of which was considered an unusual success story.

CX Success Stories

CX Success Stories

CX Success Stories

CX Success Stories

Internal Barriers

Just less than a year into his role at Ruby Tuesday, FitzPatrick says they are really just getting started on CX initiatives and are prioritizing technology investments and business process changes. However, he hearkens back to some of the considerable success stories he and the rest of the team had during his previous position at Dave & Buster’s. That business model, which combines restaurant operations in a sport bar atmosphere with an extensive video arcade, is unique in that approximately 60% of revenue comes from the games side of the house, with the food side being more challenged. D&B had an “unreal” number of data sources, says FitzPatrick, which made the implementation of a customer data platform (CDP) a challenge but also an imperative, for purposes of understanding the full customer journey and being able to better tie behavior to individual customers. In addition, D&B had a legacy customer rewards program, but did not get a lot of engagement, so they launched a new one, the timely deployment of which was considered an unusual success story.

Just less than a year into his role at Ruby Tuesday, FitzPatrick says they are really just getting started on CX initiatives and are prioritizing technology investments and business process changes. However, he hearkens back to some of the considerable success stories he and the rest of the team had during his previous position at Dave & Buster’s. That business model, which combines restaurant operations in a sport bar atmosphere with an extensive video arcade, is unique in that approximately 60% of revenue comes from the games side of the house, with the food side being more challenged. D&B had an “unreal” number of data sources, says FitzPatrick, which made the implementation of a customer data platform (CDP) a challenge but also an imperative, for purposes of understanding the full customer journey and being able to better tie behavior to individual customers. In addition, D&B had a legacy customer rewards program, but did not get a lot of engagement, so they launched a new one, the timely deployment of which was considered an unusual success story.

Just less than a year into his role at Ruby Tuesday, FitzPatrick says they are really just getting started on CX initiatives and are prioritizing technology investments and business process changes. However, he hearkens back to some of the considerable success stories he and the rest of the team had during his previous position at Dave & Buster’s. That business model, which combines restaurant operations in a sport bar atmosphere with an extensive video arcade, is unique in that approximately 60% of revenue comes from the games side of the house, with the food side being more challenged. D&B had an “unreal” number of data sources, says FitzPatrick, which made the implementation of a customer data platform (CDP) a challenge but also an imperative, for purposes of understanding the full customer journey and being able to better tie behavior to individual customers. In addition, D&B had a legacy customer rewards program, but did not get a lot of engagement, so they launched a new one, the timely deployment of which was considered an unusual success story.

Just less than a year into his role at Ruby Tuesday, FitzPatrick says they are really just getting started on CX initiatives and are prioritizing technology investments and business process changes. However, he hearkens back to some of the considerable success stories he and the rest of the team had during his previous position at Dave & Buster’s. That business model, which combines restaurant operations in a sport bar atmosphere with an extensive video arcade, is unique in that approximately 60% of revenue comes from the games side of the house, with the food side being more challenged. D&B had an “unreal” number of data sources, says FitzPatrick, which made the implementation of a customer data platform (CDP) a challenge but also an imperative, for purposes of understanding the full customer journey and being able to better tie behavior to individual customers. In addition, D&B had a legacy customer rewards program, but did not get a lot of engagement, so they launched a new one, the timely deployment of which was considered an unusual success story.

For Ruby Tuesday, as with many organizations, a greater focus on CX and moving to a digital experience for customers is a major focus for the organization, with strong support from the CEO and board of directors. “A lot of it is making sure you have alignment from the top,” says FitzPatrick. He also notes that one Ruby Tuesday board member, Adam Brotman, was responsible for creating Starbucks’ rewards program, during his time as executive vice president of global retail operations and chief digital officer. Many internal barriers to launching CX initiatives can be successfully overcome with such strong executive sponsorship.

Internal Barriers

Internal Barriers

Internal Barriers

Internal Barriers
 

Key Technologies

For Ruby Tuesday, as with many organizations, a greater focus on CX and moving to a digital experience for customers is a major focus for the organization, with strong support from the CEO and board of directors. “A lot of it is making sure you have alignment from the top,” says FitzPatrick. He also notes that one Ruby Tuesday board member, Adam Brotman, was responsible for creating Starbucks’ rewards program, during his time as executive vice president of global retail operations and chief digital officer. Many internal barriers to launching CX initiatives can be successfully overcome with such strong executive sponsorship.

For Ruby Tuesday, as with many organizations, a greater focus on CX and moving to a digital experience for customers is a major focus for the organization, with strong support from the CEO and board of directors. “A lot of it is making sure you have alignment from the top,” says FitzPatrick. He also notes that one Ruby Tuesday board member, Adam Brotman, was responsible for creating Starbucks’ rewards program, during his time as executive vice president of global retail operations and chief digital officer. Many internal barriers to launching CX initiatives can be successfully overcome with such strong executive sponsorship.

For Ruby Tuesday, as with many organizations, a greater focus on CX and moving to a digital experience for customers is a major focus for the organization, with strong support from the CEO and board of directors. “A lot of it is making sure you have alignment from the top,” says FitzPatrick. He also notes that one Ruby Tuesday board member, Adam Brotman, was responsible for creating Starbucks’ rewards program, during his time as executive vice president of global retail operations and chief digital officer. Many internal barriers to launching CX initiatives can be successfully overcome with such strong executive sponsorship.

For Ruby Tuesday, as with many organizations, a greater focus on CX and moving to a digital experience for customers is a major focus for the organization, with strong support from the CEO and board of directors. “A lot of it is making sure you have alignment from the top,” says FitzPatrick. He also notes that one Ruby Tuesday board member, Adam Brotman, was responsible for creating Starbucks’ rewards program, during his time as executive vice president of global retail operations and chief digital officer. Many internal barriers to launching CX initiatives can be successfully overcome with such strong executive sponsorship.

Ruby Tuesday aims to use its loyalty program to understand who is in the restaurant, what they are doing, lapses in behavioral patterns, and other key indicators. The company currently operates using no personally identifiable information (PII) associated with transactions. Instead, they are working with outside partners to use credit card matching data for each transaction to correlate those transactions with known customer profiles contained in a clearinghouse database. “Part of it is making sure you have the end goal in mind,” says FitzPatrick, observing that existing technology can be harnessed in new and creative ways rather than relying entirely on new technology investments.

The company’s current focus is getting a new loyalty program up and running, including the implementation of a new coupon system, and working around legacy system limitations. Looking forward, FitzPatrick anticipates utilizing an iterative approach to improving the customer experience through technology, incorporating tableside ordering, pay at table capabilities, and a new POS system.

Key Technologies

Key Technologies

Key Technologies

Key Technologies

Predictions for CX Market Development

Ruby Tuesday aims to use its loyalty program to understand who is in the restaurant, what they are doing, lapses in behavioral patterns, and other key indicators. The company currently operates using no personally identifiable information (PII) associated with transactions. Instead, they are working with outside partners to use credit card matching data for each transaction to correlate those transactions with known customer profiles contained in a clearinghouse database. “Part of it is making sure you have the end goal in mind,” says FitzPatrick, observing that existing technology can be harnessed in new and creative ways rather than relying entirely on new technology investments.

The company’s current focus is getting a new loyalty program up and running, including the implementation of a new coupon system, and working around legacy system limitations. Looking forward, FitzPatrick anticipates utilizing an iterative approach to improving the customer experience through technology, incorporating tableside ordering, pay at table capabilities, and a new POS system.

Ruby Tuesday aims to use its loyalty program to understand who is in the restaurant, what they are doing, lapses in behavioral patterns, and other key indicators. The company currently operates using no personally identifiable information (PII) associated with transactions. Instead, they are working with outside partners to use credit card matching data for each transaction to correlate those transactions with known customer profiles contained in a clearinghouse database. “Part of it is making sure you have the end goal in mind,” says FitzPatrick, observing that existing technology can be harnessed in new and creative ways rather than relying entirely on new technology investments.

The company’s current focus is getting a new loyalty program up and running, including the implementation of a new coupon system, and working around legacy system limitations. Looking forward, FitzPatrick anticipates utilizing an iterative approach to improving the customer experience through technology, incorporating tableside ordering, pay at table capabilities, and a new POS system.

Ruby Tuesday aims to use its loyalty program to understand who is in the restaurant, what they are doing, lapses in behavioral patterns, and other key indicators. The company currently operates using no personally identifiable information (PII) associated with transactions. Instead, they are working with outside partners to use credit card matching data for each transaction to correlate those transactions with known customer profiles contained in a clearinghouse database. “Part of it is making sure you have the end goal in mind,” says FitzPatrick, observing that existing technology can be harnessed in new and creative ways rather than relying entirely on new technology investments.

The company’s current focus is getting a new loyalty program up and running, including the implementation of a new coupon system, and working around legacy system limitations. Looking forward, FitzPatrick anticipates utilizing an iterative approach to improving the customer experience through technology, incorporating tableside ordering, pay-at-table capabilities, and a new POS system.

Ruby Tuesday aims to use its loyalty program to understand who is in the restaurant, what they are doing, lapses in behavioral patterns, and other key indicators. The company currently operates using no personally identifiable information (PII) associated with transactions. Instead, they are working with outside partners to use credit card matching data for each transaction to correlate those transactions with known customer profiles contained in a clearinghouse database. “Part of it is making sure you have the end goal in mind,” says FitzPatrick, observing that existing technology can be harnessed in new and creative ways rather than relying entirely on new technology investments.

The company’s current focus is getting a new loyalty program up and running, including the implementation of a new coupon system, and working around legacy system limitations. Looking forward, FitzPatrick anticipates utilizing an iterative approach to improving the customer experience through technology, incorporating tableside ordering, pay-at-table capabilities, and a new POS system.

FitzPatrick observes that we are beginning to see more customer experiences happening in a virtual environment, which he acknowledges would be new and somewhat unusual for a restaurant dining or takeout experience, especially since the restaurant industry tends to lag retail in terms of technology innovation and adoption. He points out that non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are cutting-edge innovations, and companies such as Starbucks are beginning to offer digital assets as part of their loyalty programs.

The key, says FitzPatrick, is enabling the guest to drive their own experience. The model of the future will include more automation through kiosks and more self-service ordering, which in turn will redefine the responsibilities of restaurant staff and change the staffing level requirements.

Predictions for CX Market Development

Predictions for CX Market Development

Predictions for CX Market Development

Predictions for CX Market Development

About the CX Innovator Series

FitzPatrick observes that we are beginning to see more customer experiences happening in a virtual environment, which he acknowledges would be new and somewhat unusual for a restaurant dining or takeout experience, especially since the restaurant industry tends to lag retail in terms of technology innovation and adoption. He points out that non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are cutting-edge innovations, and companies such as Starbucks are beginning to offer digital assets as part of their loyalty programs.

The key, says FitzPatrick, is enabling the guest to drive their own experience. The model of the future will include more automation through kiosks and more self-service ordering, which in turn will redefine the responsibilities of restaurant staff and change the staffing level requirements.

FitzPatrick observes that we are beginning to see more customer experiences happening in a virtual environment, which he acknowledges would be new and somewhat unusual for a restaurant dining or takeout experience, especially since the restaurant industry tends to lag retail in terms of technology innovation and adoption. He points out that non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are cutting-edge innovations, and companies such as Starbucks are beginning to offer digital assets as part of their loyalty programs.

The key, says FitzPatrick, is enabling the guest to drive their own experience. The model of the future will include more automation through kiosks and more self-service ordering, which in turn will redefine the responsibilities of restaurant staff and change the staffing level requirements.

FitzPatrick observes that we are beginning to see more customer experiences happening in a virtual environment, which he acknowledges would be new and somewhat unusual for a restaurant dining or takeout experience, especially since the restaurant industry tends to lag retail in terms of technology innovation and adoption. He points out that non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are cutting-edge innovations, and companies such as Starbucks are beginning to offer digital assets as part of their loyalty programs.

The key, says FitzPatrick, is enabling the guest to drive their own experience. The model of the future will include more automation through kiosks and more self-service ordering, which in turn will redefine the responsibilities of restaurant staff and change the staffing level requirements.

FitzPatrick observes that we are beginning to see more customer experiences happening in a virtual environment, which he acknowledges would be new and somewhat unusual for a restaurant dining or takeout experience, especially since the restaurant industry tends to lag retail in terms of technology innovation and adoption. He points out that non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are cutting-edge innovations, and companies such as Starbucks are beginning to offer digital assets as part of their loyalty programs.

The key, says FitzPatrick, is enabling the guest to drive their own experience. The model of the future will include more automation through kiosks and more self-service ordering, which in turn will redefine the responsibilities of restaurant staff and change the staffing level requirements.

The CX Innovator Series is an actionable and educational industry initiative that showcases the best practices that leading end-user executives are using within their organizations to shape their community’s experience. The series is a collaborative effort between Dash Network, Sleeping Giant Labs, and Team Wakabayashi. Using expertly curated executive interviews combined with quantitative research from consumer surveys, the CX Innovator Series provides tangible insights and a deeper understanding of how successful companies are utilizing CX programs resulting in positive business outcomes.

The CX Innovator Series is made possible by support from our lead sponsors: Concentrix, eGain, Tealium, and QuestionPro. If you would be interested in participating in the CX Innovator initiative, either as part of an end-user interview or as a supporting sponsor, please contact us at: sales@sleepinggiantsales.com.

About the CX Innovator Series

About the CX Innovator Series

About the CX Innovator Series

About the CX Innovator Series
 

The CX Innovator Series is an actionable and educational industry initiative that showcases the best practices that leading end-user executives are using within their organizations to shape their community’s experience. The series is a collaborative effort between Dash Network, Sleeping Giant Labs, and Team Wakabayashi. Dash Network originally published this article here. Using expertly curated executive interviews combined with quantitative research from consumer surveys, the CX Innovator Series provides tangible insights and a deeper understanding of how successful companies are utilizing CX programs resulting in positive business outcomes.

The CX Innovator Series is made possible by support from our lead sponsors: Concentrix, eGain, Tealium, and QuestionPro. If you would be interested in participating in the CX Innovator initiative, either as part of an end-user interview or as a supporting sponsor, don't hesitate to get in touch with us at: sales@sleepinggiantsales.com.

The CX Innovator Series is an actionable and educational industry initiative that showcases the best practices that leading end-user executives are using within their organizations to shape their community’s experience. The series is a collaborative effort between Dash Network, Sleeping Giant Labs, and Team Wakabayashi. Using expertly curated executive interviews combined with quantitative research from consumer surveys, the CX Innovator Series provides tangible insights and a deeper understanding of how successful companies are utilizing CX programs resulting in positive business outcomes.

The CX Innovator Series is made possible by support from our lead sponsors: Concentrix, eGain, Tealium, and QuestionPro. If you would be interested in participating in the CX Innovator initiative, either as part of an end-user interview or as a supporting sponsor, please contact us at: sales@sleepinggiantsales.com.

The CX Innovator Series is an actionable and educational industry initiative that showcases the best practices that leading end-user executives are using within their organizations to shape their community’s experience. The series is a collaborative effort between Dash Network, Sleeping Giant Labs, and Team Wakabayashi. Using expertly curated executive interviews combined with quantitative research from consumer surveys, the CX Innovator Series provides tangible insights and a deeper understanding of how successful companies are utilizing CX programs resulting in positive business outcomes.

The CX Innovator Series is made possible by support from our lead sponsors: Concentrix, eGain, Tealium, and QuestionPro. If you would be interested in participating in the CX Innovator initiative, either as part of an end-user interview or as a supporting sponsor, please contact us at: sales@sleepinggiantsales.com.

The CX Innovator Series is an actionable and educational industry initiative that showcases the best practices that leading end-user executives are using within their organizations to shape their community’s experience. The series is a collaborative effort between Dash Network, Sleeping Giant Labs, and Team Wakabayashi. Using expertly curated executive interviews combined with quantitative research from consumer surveys, the CX Innovator Series provides tangible insights and a deeper understanding of how successful companies are utilizing CX programs resulting in positive business outcomes.

The CX Innovator Series is made possible by support from our lead sponsors: Concentrix, eGain, Tealium, and QuestionPro. If you would be interested in participating in the CX Innovator initiative, either as part of an end-user interview or as a supporting sponsor, please contact us at: sales@sleepinggiantsales.com.

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